The Pros & Cons of Temp to Hire

Michael KraftWhen I was a hiring manager, I often loved to use temp to hire. I was well aware of the pros, which include:

The search is easy (Sequoia would do the work).

We got to try the person out. If they worked out, we’d pay our fee in one way or another and things went swimmingly well. If the person didn’t work out, or we decided during the temp’ing period that the position was no longer needed, it was very easy to make the separation happen.

Now that I work at Sequoia Personnel Services, however, I’m learning a little more. The cons of temp to hire are a little “nuancy.” They include:

When you go with temp to hire, you are basically eliminating good people who might want to work for you, but won’t give up a regular job to be your temp. And now that the employment markets are tightening up, the ranks of great people available to be temporary employees is shrinking.

It’s actually somewhat more expensive to execute a temp to hire than to pay us to find you a regular hire.

Here’s the thing: temp to hire is still a good tool. I just didn’t understand the tool well in the past, and how that means that other tools at times are better. When you need people, give this some thought, rather than automatically preferring temp to hire.

The information provided in this blog is intended for general information purposes only. Readers should seek the help of an HR professional for guidance on specific issues.